The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton

The Senate Appropriations Committee advanced over $1 trillion in funding this week, approving Defense and Labor-HHS bills that sharply diverge from President Trump’s budget. The Defense bill boosts military pay and weapons procurement, including funding for Ukraine and Israel that Trump had cut. Meanwhile, the Labor-HHS bill invests heavily in biomedical research, child care, and opioid treatment rejecting the deep domestic cuts pushed by Trump and his allies. Here to break down the details is Senior Reporter with Blomberg Government, Jack Fitzpatrick.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The House and Senate versions of the 2026 defense policy bill both zero in on acquisition reform, targeting similar areas, but taking different approaches to accomplishing those reforms. That means there's still significant work ahead to reconcile the two. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis spoke with Tim Brennan from the Professional Services Council about what made it into the bills and what's next.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Senators are pushing for the reinstatement of Environmental Protection Agency employees who remain in limbo. A letter from Democrats this week comes after more than 140 EPA employees were put on administrative leave about a month ago. The agency says it's investigating the employees, but there's no clear timeline for when the investigation will wrap up. Here with the latest is Federal News Network's Drew Friedman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nearly 25 million Americans renew a passport every year. They want that process to be simple and fast, and it wasn't...until, after many attempts, the State Department finally developed and deployed a new on-line process that works. Here with the details on what it took to roll out the new process is the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, Matt Pierce.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You might be getting used to asking AI to find you a recipe or diagnose your pet's behavior. Would you trust it to help you fix a fighter jet, or treat a wounded soldier, or develop a military operations order in combat? New tools are being tested that promise that level of specificity and accuracy. Here with more details is the founder and CEO of EdgerunnerAI, Tyler Saltsman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton The team behind the on-line passport renewal application earns a medal GAO responds to Congress on suggested changes to the bid protest function How AI could change front-line military jobsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 2025 National Defense Authorization Act's section 885 raised eyebrows for its suggestions about how to improve the bid protest function. Congress gave GAO 180 days to research and respond to three specific recommendations. GAO's recent response has reengaged the conversation. Here to help us understand the particulars of GAO's response and what it might mean for future bid protests is partner at Hunton, Andrews, and Kurth, Eric Crusius. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The crash of healthcare.gov in October 2013 sparked a nationwide conversation about how the federal government designs and launches online services to the public. About a year later, the White House launched the US digital service, a tech hub within the executive office of the president. That office is now home to the Department of Government Efficiency. Federal News Network's Jory Heckman has more on this historical moment in federal news history. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Yesterday was National Whistleblower Day. DOJ has a new program that offers payment to whistleblowers who submit reports of antitrust violations that are later proved successful. But the program is complicated, with lots of conditions on those payments. Here to help us sort through the details is partner at Shepherd Mulling and Co-Leader of their Antitrust and Competition Practice Group, Ann O'Brien. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton A new framework for global cybersecurity collaboration DOJ offers to pay whistleblowers for successful antitrust claims How Salt Typhoon Breached the National Guard—and What It Means for U.S. CybersecuritySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.